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Text Warriors laughed and toasted one-another in one of the enormous dining halls of Valhalla, of all shape and size: from wolf-pig Nibelung to ponies of all shape and size, from supernatural beings to once-mortals of every layer, they rested back around enormous wooden tables with goblets and steins of mead and ale and wine. Food and drink were in plenty, kept well-stocked by jovial servants, and the hundred-foot hall was filled with cheer as clockwork golems stood silent sentinel to either side of the room, keeping watch over the warriors as they bantered and reveled. A Nibelung glanced up curiously as a rumble ran through the southern wall with enough force to make the tapestries adorning it shudder, and he rubbed absently at his greasy, dark-furred features, his boar-like tusks glinting before another armored warrior glanced up as well, halting in mid-conversation as another rumble tore through the building. Slowly, silence descended over the hall as the wall and floor shuddered, several tapestries falling from the surfaces before an awful stillness fell over the hall, broken only by a few anxious murmurs as here and there, warriors slowly stood up from the tables. A thud sounded... followed by a rumbling that grew steadily louder behind the wall, the closed, huge double doors shuddering and beginning to jar open before they were slammed out of place as the entire wall seemed to explode, a terrible, draconic monster ripping through the foot-thick stone into the hall with a furious roar, its body covered in small wounds and a winged unicorn that glowed with ephemeral, dark sapphire radiance perched upon its skull like a war rider. Stone, brick, and in one unfortunate case, a heavy wooden door pummeled into the warriors of Valhalla, knocking them flat and sending them crashing and rolling amidst the tables as a terribly-powerful voice roared: "Stay out of our way, and thou may yet live!" Scrivener Blooms snarled furiously as he charged forwards, lowering his head and using his body like a battering ram as Luna gazed sharply back and forth through the hallway, her body sizzling with magic and energy. The warriors were slow to react, shocked and in many cases terrified, and even though the golems were activating, they were all little threat: her husband, serving as her monstrous steed and battering ram, was able to simply charge forwards, crushing anything that got in his way beneath his huge weight and body. And those few warriors who recognized what they were faced with were already screaming and fleeing the hall, even as near the back of the room, a soldier was attempting to marshal all the warriors around him into a battle line. "A demonstration of power, perhaps?" Luna suggested coldly, and Scrivener grinned slightly as he continued to press forwards, tail snapping back and forth as he crushed tables, bodies, and anything else that got in his way beneath his claws, ignoring the insignificant nips of pain as weapons swung in against him here and there uselessly, gouging against his mottled scales with all the effectiveness of nipping insects. Then Scrivener skidded to a halt as he dropped his head forwards, and Luna gritted her teeth as she leaned forwards, channeling energy into Scrivener's body as he roared at the battle line, a toxic blast of sapphire breath bursting out over the surprised warriors. Shock quickly became agony as they fell like dominoes, screaming in agony, grabbing at the awful wounds the terrible breath of the Tyrant Wyrm left, the blue mist eating away at their bodies like acid before Luna's eyes flashed as she flicked her horn upwards, sending a blue fireball rocketing past the group to slam into the wall behind them and erupt in a powerful torrent, cracking and weakening the stone. "Push forwards!" Scrivener rumbled in agreement as he charged ahead even as Luna turned around and ran quickly down the Tyrant Wyrm's neck and onto his back, sprinting along his spine and grinning as he smashed through the wall with ease, wood and stone debris hailing down around them as she skidded to a halt just past the center of his back and snapped her horn forwards, releasing a blast of blue flames that crashed into the stone floor and began to rapidly spread, driving the few warriors that had attempted to pursue back. The golems continued, but became incandescent azure candles as they waded into the supernatural flames, their bodies steaming as magical components exploded inside of them and enchanted metal began to quickly melt. Not that it mattered either way, as Scrivener continued to barrel forwards, squeezing his way down a narrow but high-ceilinged hall, snarling in effort as the pressure of his huge body cracked the stone walls clutching in against either side of him, and Luna spun around, heading quickly back to take her perch once more atop Scrivener's head as he lowered it further, looking back and forth as the winged unicorn muttered: "Press onwards, Scrivener... we have razed half of Valhalla by now, Odin must be close..." I feel so... excited. Scrivener's voice whispered in her mind, and Luna shuddered a bit as she felt the same shiver pass through her husband's body: of aggression, of dark pleasure, of that undeniable exhilaration. And what made it worse was that Nightmare Moon was still silent, still dormant: she had no way to deny that this passion and pleasure was all her own, mixed with her husband's savage delight. Luna... "Nay, Scrivy, we can worry later. There... there is nothing wrong with enjoying our work, even when the work is dark as this." Luna muttered, and she shivered a bit as Scrivener reached a heavy portcullis, sunlight streaming in through this before the Tyrant Wyrm reached forwards and slammed a claw into the gate. It shuddered and warped, and a second savage lash of his claw knocked the wide, squat portcullis out of place, leaving a narrow gap. Scrivener simply rammed forwards as Luna anchored herself against his head, and the Tyrant Wyrm ripped his way through the walls around the gap, tearing his enormous body free from the corridor and staggering out into a beautiful garden, glancing over his shoulder with a rumble as the hallway collapsed behind him. The sun shone down from above, and Luna surveyed the area with a grimace as memories flashed through her mind. She looked back and forth as Scrivener carefully stepped forwards, crushing flowers and flora under his huge claws before the winged unicorn's eyes locked on an ajar door at the base of an immense, wide tower that half-jutted from the courtyard walls and stood taller than the rest of the spires and structures of Valhalla around them, the winged unicorn saying sharply: "There, he must be at the top! Scrivener Blooms... can thou fly?" The Tyrant Wyrm flapped his wings experimentally, then grimaced a bit in distaste at the pain that throbbed through his system and how creakily they moved. He paused as Luna cursed and jumped off his head to take to the air herself, and then instead the Tyrant Wyrm strode forwards, crossing the wide garden easily in a few strides before he dug his claws into the stone tower, ripping through the solid rock walls like butter as he stood on his hind legs, then slammed his rear claws into the base of the tower, beginning to easily climb the enormous structure as Luna laughed in delight and flew up close to the male as he ascended with a growl of effort. "Brave beast! Aye, this will do nicely!" The tower groaned a bit under the weight of the Tyrant Wyrm as he tore his way up it, Scrivener gritting his teeth but clinging gamely to the stone as he ripped his claws through the walls and continued his ascent: at three hundred feet tall and perhaps a third as wide, it was a truly impressive monolith in the massive castle of Valhalla. But now its size was working against it as the Tyrant Wyrm continued to ascend... before he winced as several shuttered windows flew open above and a hail of oil was poured out from them, falling in a torrential waterfall down the sides of the tower. Luna cursed, focusing her magic and flicking her horn outwards to create a shimmering, sloped barrier of blue energy, the oil spilling over this and dripping down it... and Scrivener winced as a stream of oil landed against his tail and droplets dripped against the sides of his limbs and back, hissing in pained frustration. It was blessed oil... and the Tyrant Wyrm's eyes widened as a moment later, the oil above burst into golden flames that rapidly, greedily spread down the waterfall, hurriedly pulling himself away from the streams of oil slipping past the barrier as the yellow fire spread rapidly over the oil. The oil that had dropped along his limbs and tail burst into flames from the concentrated heat of the fiery flood around him, golden fire biting along his mottled scales, and he hissed in pain as the blessed flames charred his mottled scales. He felt one of his wings burst into flames as well, and he howled in frustration and pain as Luna snarled, her body flexing as she circled in the air behind him and her own form steaming where the golden fire was burning against Scrivener's enormous frame, barely able to keep up the now-burning barrier before she shouted: "Cancel it out with thy breath!" Scrivener hissed at this, then he leaned forwards and released a gust of mist along the bottom of the barrier, the toxic smog passing easily through Luna's magic and washing into the flames. Immediately, holy fire turned to crystalline ice, and Scrivener grinned slightly before he took a long, deep breath, then roared as he clawed upwards, ripping through the frozen ice and continuing to freeze the waterfall of fire and oil. Screams sounded from inside the windows as blue smoke wafted into the room beyond, cauldrons falling over, barrels of holy oil shuddering as they rotted and blessed oil congealed into hideous, slime-like masses, and warriors of Valhalla toppled and clawed at their bodies as the acidic smog ripped and burned through them. Scrivener Blooms snarled as he halted at the windows, leaning his head down and then tearing a claw forwards to sweep one forelimb through the room inside: and even as several of the warriors and servants fled, a handful of others were swept backwards and knocked out into thin air as the outer wall was torn to shreds. Luna snorted in rueful entertainment, shaking her head as she flew in close and used blue fire to cancel out the golden flames here and there burning on Scrivener's body, the Tyrant Wyrm wincing a bit, but the pain only adding to his growing fury... and strangely, his excitement. He began to climb again, yanking himself past frozen fire and still-burning holy flame, and Luna followed him upwards after sending one final, searing burst of sapphire fire over Scrivener's tail, shouting irritably: "Slow down, these flames are dangerous even to thee!" Which is another reason to stop Odin, isn't it? We're almost at the top. Scrivener replied quickly in her mind, and Luna glanced up with surprise to see that only some sixty feet away was the rounded roof of the enormous tower, and a dark grin spread over the winged unicorn's face as she shot upwards, her eyes immediately locking on the highest window she could see. She barreled into the tinted glass, shattering through it and ramming into an enormous, circular room beyond: shelves and barrels lined the walls, the ceiling was high and domed, but the only thing she had eyes for was the figure of Odin as he spun around, almost falling against a strange pedestal in the center of the room, his eyes widening. There was forty feet between them, and yet the distance didn't matter: their gazes locked, and there was no time to even speak as Odin began to raise the spear in his hand- Luna crossed the distance between them in the time it took the once-god to raise the weapon, crashing into his body and slashing savagely across his chest with her horn, ripping through jacket and rawhide clothing to tear through the soft flesh beneath. Odin cursed in pain, but was quick to retaliate, seizing the neck of the spear in both hands and slamming the body of it down across Luna's face as she tried to press forwards, knocking her crashing backwards before the once-god dexterously spun the weapon around to hold by the body as he thrusted it towards her- Luna's horn crashed against the neck of the spear, knocking it upwards as she released a raw yell, and the weapon was jarred out of the once-god's hands with the force of the parry, falling backwards against the pedestal with a grunt, his back arching with a wince of pain as it dug against his spine. And in midair, Luna caught the spear with telekinesis before she snapped her horn forwards, her eyes glowing ivory as she snarled, and Odin had only a moment before the weapon buried its way through his chest, ripping out his back with a splatter of blood that spilled over the pedestal before the once-god howled in agony as Luna arched her back and rose her head, lifting him off the ground by the spear halfway-torn through his breast. He grasped weakly, uselessly at the body of the weapon, gasping hard as he was held, suspended in the air by the spear buried through his body, staring with his single eye down at Luna as she glared back. Tears spilled down her cheeks, sorrow and fury and victory warred inside her as they looked at each other in silence... and then the winged unicorn flicked her horn hard to the side, and the spear whiplashed, Odin tearing free to crash to the ground and bounce lifelessly once before he landed in a prone sprawl on his back. The once-god stared silently at the ceiling, not breathing, but his single working eye still alive for a moment longer as he looked towards her almost pityingly... and then, slowly, it closed. And Luna stood over him, breathing hard, the spear floating above her head and dripping with the once-god's blood as her mane and tail sparked with electricity, grinding her hooves against the floor. She wanted to yell, or scream, or cry... but instead, she only dropped her head forwards and hissed out a long, slow breath with a shiver. There was no going back from what she had done... there was no turning back now, on this path they had chosen. She breathed hard, looking down at Odin and understanding the full gravity of what this meant, of what she had done, of what they were becoming before she glanced up as Scrivener Blooms tore open the wall so he could look silently inside, the Tyrant Wyrm looking as muted as she felt. They only looked at one another for a moment... and then Luna smiled grimly, whispering quietly: "Odin was doing something here, my love. And whilst he will never trouble us again, I know not of his allies... if they are loyal, they may seek revenge. We will have to take steps now to ensure that we are ready for worse things than an old, foolish once-god... we will have to..." She quieted, then slowly turned her eyes towards the pedestal, stepping towards it and studying it. It was ornamented with strange runic designs up the body, and the surface was not flat as she had expected, but bowl-like, and contained some kind of elixir that she didn't recognize; it glittered and gleamed enticingly, smelled sweet and inviting, even though it had been tinted red with the blood of the once-god that had spilled into it... and Luna licked her lips slowly before she looked over her shoulder and said quietly: "I know not what this is, but if Odin was after it, then in all likelihood 'tis something he hoped to use to even the odds. Perhaps to regain some of his old powers, or heal himself... thou... thou should drink it. Yes, Scrivener Blooms, there is... we have stepped into darkness now. There is no longer any need for us to shy away from increasing our strength by fair means or foul. All that matters is that we are together, and this... this is a way for us to stay together." She smiled faintly, trembling a bit, her eyes betraying hesitance and fear... and yet inside her, she also felt... a deep desire. A wanting that had for so long gone checked with so many reasons that more and more felt only like lies and excuses, and she breathed hard before looking up in surprise as Scrivener Blooms murmured in her mind: No... She looked towards the Tyrant Wyrm, but it was smiling, its glowing eyes nervous and hesitant, but trusting, loving, compassionate as he leaned forwards, and his voice whispered clearly in her mind: I've gained terrible power already. You should drink it, Luna... because when one of us benefits, the other does as well. We are one... and... and I'm not going to be afraid anymore, of what we might become, of what we are becoming. You're right. Nothing else matters... as long as we're together. Somehow, it soothed Luna to hear this, the winged unicorn looking up with a radiant smile before her eyes roved slowly to Odin's corpse... and even though a shudder ran through her at the thought, she couldn't help but whisper: "Then I shall drink the elixir... and thou shalt feast upon the remains of a once-god." Scrivener looked surprised at this, before his eyes hesitantly roved towards Odin's body, a shiver rolling through his form as he clung to the tower... but Luna only smiled faintly, bowing her head forwards as she looked towards him and murmured: "There is no turning back... there is only descending deeper now into this abyss. There is only hoping that while the fall is deep and long, 'tis also swift... for I do not like being torn between what tatters of my conscience remain and this new... life... we are embracing." But perhaps even monsters like us have our place in the world... perhaps this is for the best. Scrivener whispered softly in Luna's mind, and the winged unicorn looked up at him curiously as the Tyrant Wyrm locked its glowing gaze with her own dark cyan irises. We get to decide who we are, we are the ones who write our own fates and stories, no one else. And all this power... will help ensure that we can bring back our friends, our family. Even if they fear us, we can save them... "Even if they do not understand, we can show them that no matter what, we are still there for them... yes, Scrivener Blooms, perhaps thou art right." Luna nodded slowly, looking up at him and smiling faintly. "Yes, there is so much waiting for us. Perhaps they shall finally understand the glory of our beautiful night, my beloved... that not all things are as they seem. We could not stop Ragnarok, but now, with our strength, we shall renew and protect the world. Even more than that, we shall be able to make them safe... we shall be able to make them happy. And above all else, we shall have each other..." The Tyrant Wyrm smiled to her, nodding firmly with a rumble... and then Luna turned around, gazing down into the red-tinted elixir, breathing hard before she closed her eyes as she heard the sound of Scrivener's claws scraping against the stone, grasping into the flesh of a still-warm corpse. For a few moments, the two only stood, lingering as faint voices, reasons, pleading echoed through their souls from almost-forgotten voices... and then these last pleas were pushed aside as Luna lowered her mouth to drink, and Scrivener dragged the dead body of a once-god back towards his open jaws. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story